A Full-Time Parent’s Guide to Going Back to School

If you’re a full-time parent, it can be hard to imagine how you could make time to pursue your dream career while trying to manage a family.

We understand that raising children is an exhausting job. We also understand that it can be time-consuming and financially challenging to raise children in addition to making tuition payments.

But at NYIAD, part of our mission has always been to make a creative education more affordable and accessible to students regardless of lifestyle or background. And that means that pursuing a dream career should always be an option for moms and dads. So if you’re a parent interested in going back to school with NYIAD but you’re feeling worried, here’s some advice.

What If You Think You’re Too Old to Be a Student?

Our students come from all different backgrounds. Take our jewelry design course for example. In that course alone, we work with young aspiring designers who want to learn practical beading and wire working skills right after high school instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars at a college or university.

In that same program, we have students who just retired from their lifelong careers and are looking to pick up a new hobby to keep themselves busy day-to-day. Regardless of your age or lifestyle, within our vibrant student community, you will find plenty of other online learners who are just like you.

Your Current Job Supports Your Family. How Will You Make Time to Study While Working?

Thousands of NYIAD students opt to take our online courses for exactly this reason. We understand that modern learners- especially parents- are on the go. Whether you already work a full-time job, have family obligations, or some hectic combination of both, you already have a million places to be in a given week.

For students with children of their own, making time to commute to a campus or classroom just might not be sustainable on top of everything you already have going on. That’s why all you need in order to log in and work through your NYIAD program is access to the internet.

Maybe you want to read a lesson of your interior design course on your tablet over coffee in the morning before your kids wake up. Or maybe late nights and weekends are when you find some quiet time in your home office to work on the latest project for your wedding planning course. At NYIAD, you make your own schedule. We will never assign you deadlines or due dates, because we understand that life doesn’t always work that way- and it’s okay that some days, you’re just too busy for school.

Are You Scared to Make a Change?

Many of our students are currently working full time in dead-end jobs that don’t make them happy. But when you have a family to provide for, we understand that change can be scary. It’s tempting to tell yourself that a consistent paycheck and a feeling of security is all that matters- even when you know that you never look forward to going to work in the morning in your current role.

Again, that’s where our self-paced, flexible online format can be a huge game-changer. As a NYIAD student, you don’t have to quit your current job in order to start pursuing a better one. Tons of our students work full time during the week, then do some studying on weekends so that once they feel confident, they can shift into a career that actually brings them joy.

Sandra Mijan is a full-time parent who used to work as a dental assistant in an orthodontist’s office but she always dreamed of a career in interior decorating and design.

“Back in 2015 I was in the middle of an orthodontic adjustment and the patient asked if I knew of any interior designers,” she remembers. “I took a chance of following my dream right then and there.”

As a parent, you often put your own needs aside in order to make sure you’re making the right choices for your family.

Shifting careers while trying to maintain a stable home and family can feel like a really daunting task. But when you find a school that understands your schedule and empathizes with your concerns, you can rest assured that taking those first steps toward a career you’re passionate about won’t throw off the rest of your schedule.

If enrolling in a NYIAD course is something you’re thinking about, don’t hesitate to see it through. Feel free to call 1-800-583-1742 so you can chat with one of our student advisors about any other concerns you might be having, or any other questions on your mind.